Hotel California
by sycoandcrazy-inc
Summary: Maya just wanted to get away from it all for a little while. She never expected the horrors that awaited her at Hotel California. AU


AN-Right, so, this story was adopted from LittleBlueStrawberry. I've heavily edited what she originally had, and finished it. I hope you all enjoy my version of the story.

_Syco: I just want to let everyone know I had nothing to do with this one-shot other then letting Crazy talk to me about it and editing it! It's NOT MY FAULT! Though I guess I have been encouraging her not to write happy stories...Crap. Anyways enjoy and have your terror ready!_

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><p>The screen door slammed after Maya as she walked into her house. Maya winced. She hadn't meant for it to slam. She glanced around, and was relieved to see her father was still asleep in his recliner. He was always in a foul mood if woken up from his nap.<p>

Maya slipped off her worn sneakers and went into the kitchen. She opened and closed cupboards, searching for something to eat. All she could find was a jar of peanut butter and a slice of bread.

"I thought dad was supposed to go grocery shopping," she muttered. "Guess he forgot. Either that or he found something better to do."

Maya fixed herself a peanut butter sandwich and ate it in the kitchen. By the time she finished she could hear the noises of her father moving around in the living room. Maya walked in there and saw him standing up.

"Hey, Dad, didn't you go grocery shopping today?"

Her father, Larry, blinked blurry eyes and looked at her. "Nah, not today. My show was havin' a special all day marathon."

"And I suppose that's much more important than us getting to eat," Maya said sarcastically.

Larry shrugged as he walked over to the fridge. "I ate. You can find somethin' for yourself. You're a big girl."

"Right," Maya said rolling her eyes.

Larry smacked the back of Maya's head causing her to lurch forward. "How many times 'ave I told you not to roll your eyes at me?"

"Sorry Dad," she said rubbing the back of her head where he'd hit her. Without waiting for him to say anything else, Maya dashed off to her room and shut the door. She was so sick of this. Living in this rundown little shack with a deadbeat father got old fast.

"I just want to get out of here," Maya said. "At least for a little while."

She flopped down on her bed, and began to think. Really, she could get out of here if she wanted to. She knew where her dad kept the spare cash and his car keys. She probably wouldn't manage to get away for long if she stole her dad's car, but Maya didn't plan for this to be a permanent thing. She would come home. She just wanted a vacation.

Maya grinned as her plan took shape in her mind. This could be fun.

She waited until her dad fell back asleep, which only took about an hour. While she waited, she packed a duffel bag full of clothes and other things she would need for her trip.

When Maya could hear her dad's snores, she crept out of her room and into his. She found the old coffee can beneath his bed and opened it to reveal several hundred dollars in cash. Maya grinned as she took it all out. Her dad was going to be furious, but Maya found that she didn't care.

Maya went into the living room and picked up the keys off the table. "Bye Dad," she whispered.

A few hours later, Maya had been reduced to driving her car at twenty miles an hour. A horrible thunderstorm had just come out of nowhere, preventing her from getting anywhere fast.

Maya peered out of the windshield. She could see only about ten to fifteen feet ahead of her, and she didn't want to wreck.

"This has to be the worst day for me to do this," Maya said. "Why couldn't I wait just one more day?"

A shaft of lightning rent the sky, and in the momentary illumination, Maya could see some kind of building ahead.

"There's no way I can keep driving in this," Maya said. "Maybe I can stop there for the night, or at least until this storm passes."

Maya kept going forward slowly, guided by the lightning. A few minutes later she could see a parking lot, and her headlights caught a sign. The words were blurred by the rain, but Maya could just barely make out the writing. Hotel California. Kind of a cheesy name.

Cheesy name or not, this was the only place to stop right now, so Maya turned into the drive. There were a couple other cars in the parking lot, and Maya parked in a space as close to the door as she could get.

With her headlights pointed at the building, Maya could see it was pretty old. It reminded her of an ancient mansion turned hotel. The front door was huge, and the walls had vines creeping up to the tiled roof. The windows were dark, and Maya worried there might not be anyone there for a minute.

"Of course someone's there," she scoffed. "There are cars here after all. Wish I could wait for the rain to let up some, but I don't suppose it will."

Maya slipped her duffel bag over her shoulder, and dashed out into the rain. She was instantly drenched. Maya ran to the front door and tried the handle. Much to her relief, it was unlocked. Maya opened the door and stepped inside.

Maya found herself in a huge front hall. For a moment Maya thought she had stepped back in time. The walls were hung with old portraits, and rich looking oriental rugs covered the hardwood floor. Fancy sofas that looked as though they would be uncomfortable to sit in were placed here and there. On one wall was a massive fireplace that housed a cheery blaze. Hung from the ceiling were gorgeous crystal chandeliers. In the center of the room was the desk where people were to check in, and directly behind that was a wide staircase leading to the next level.

As Maya looked around in awe, she began to notice other things. Like how absolutely dusty the place was. Dust seemed to be everywhere. On second glance, the rugs and sofas looked faded and worn, the paintings cracked and old, and the chandeliers seemed stained. Even the fire seemed less bright somehow.

Still, even this old rundown place was better than trying to drive through the storm. Maya approached the desk and saw a small sign that said, "Ring bell for assistance." Beside it was a small hand held bell. She picked up the bell and gave it a little shake. The bell gave off a soft, crystalline tinkle.

"There's no way anyone's going to hear that," Maya muttered. If a worker didn't show up soon, she'd have to go searching for someone; she wasn't going to stand here dripping all night.

Only moments later, a small door off to the side that Maya hadn't noticed earlier opened and a young man dressed in a suit walked into the hall. He was taller than Maya by several inches, and he had long dull red hair and big glassy green eyes. Maya thought he should have been attractive, but he wasn't. His skin was an unhealthy shade of grey and he was way too skinny.

_This guy looks like he should be in the hospital._ It was kind of creepy actually.

"Welcome to the Hotel California," the man said, slipping easily behind the desk. "Did you want to check in for the night?"

Creepy or not, Maya needed a place to stay. "Yeah, I did."

"Very well, a room for one will be thirty dollars," the young man said.

Maya gave him the money, and he pushed a ledger her way. "Sign on the dotted line, please," he said.

Without a second thought, Maya picked up the pen and signed her name on the line. The man took the ledger back, looking incredibly pleased for some unknown reason.

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

But that was silly. There was no way she could have kept driving in this weather, and this guy looked like a breeze could knock him down. Maya doubted he could pose a serious threat.

"My name is Kurama, by the way," the man said. "If you need anything at all during your stay, just let me know and I'll do my best to help you."

He held out a large, old-fashioned brass key. "This is the key to your room."

Maya took the key, and jerked her hand away with a gasp when her fingers brushed his. Kurama's hands were _cold._ It had felt like she'd dunked her hand in a bucket of ice.

Kurama smiled as thought nothing unusual had happened. "Follow me, and I will show you to your room."

Maya followed Kurama up the stairs, feeling awkward in the silence and gloom of the hotel. The more she saw of the place, the creepier it seemed.

_It's just for one night, Maya. Be brave! You'll be out of here first thing in the morning!_

There was just something about this place that set her on edge. Needing to hear some noise, Maya asked, "So, how many people are staying here right now?"

Kurama glanced back at her and smiled. "Just a few. You can meet them tonight at dinner if you wish."

"Dinner?" Maya asked.

"Yes," Kurama said. "Dinner will be served at seven. I hope to see you there."

Maya nodded, only realizing how hungry she was now that Kurama had mentioned food. "Definitely. Where are we eating?"

"In the dining hall," Kurama said. "It's just off the entrance way to the right. The doors will be open so you shouldn't have a problem finding it. Ah, here is your room."

Kurama motioned to a large wooden door. "If you need anything, just ring the bell inside. Otherwise, I shall see you at dinner."

"Thanks," Maya said. Kurama walked back down the hall and it could have been her imagination, but Maya would have sworn that for the second he was beside her the air was actually several degrees colder.

Shivering, Maya unlocked the door to her room and went inside, being sure to lock the door behind her. Looking around, Maya saw that everything was decorated in the same manner as the front hall, but also like the hall, everything looked old and worn.

There was a bathroom connected to the room, and inside Maya found some towels to dry off with. She changed her clothes and brushed out her hair. She tied it up in a braid to help keep her wet hair out of her face and checked the time.

"Well, it's almost seven," she said. "I could probably go down to the hall and find the dining room."

The idea of being around the other guests appealed to Maya, who was finding more and more that she didn't like to be alone in this place. So Maya left her room, careful to lock it behind her, and headed down to the main hall.

It was easy to find the dining hall as Kurama had promised. Inside was a large table with four places set at one end. Two of the seats were already taken by two women. One of the women looked older than Maya, probably in her twenties, with short brown hair and expressive brown eyes. The other one looked to be slightly younger, but was definitely older than Maya. She had long green hair that couldn't be natural, and dark, almost reddish, brown eyes.

The one with brown hair saw Maya first and waved. "Hey there, are you a guest too?"

Maya waved back with a smile, relieved to see some normal people in this place, even if one of them had an odd taste in hair color. "Yes, I'm Maya." She took a seat at one of the empty place settings as the other two women introduced themselves.

"I'm Keiko, and this is my friend Yukina," said the woman with brown hair.

"Hello," said Yukina softly.

"Nice to meet you both," Maya said.

"Hellooooooooo!"

All three girls jumped and turned towards the door at the sound. Another woman stood in the doorway, with long blue hair and twinkling pink eyes.

_Okay, this one makes Yukina look normal._

The blue haired woman bounced over. "Hi everybody, my name is Botan."

The other three introduced themselves as Botan took a seat beside Maya. "Can you believe this weather?" Botan asked. "I mean, that storm just popped up out of nowhere like magic!"

Keiko nodded. "It did. I was really surprised; the news said it was supposed to be sunny today."

Further conversation was interrupted when a door opened and Kurama entered the room, pushing a cart laden with food along. He smiled, "Good evening ladies."

He set the covered dishes on the table, and Mina was struck again by how weak and pale he looked. She was surprised he was even able to lift some of the platters he placed on the table.

_How come Kurama is the only staff I've seen so far? Is he the only one that runs this place?_

It would explain the hotel's shabby condition, and maybe why Kurama seemed so sickly.

"If you need anything, just call for me," Kurama said. "I'll be in the kitchen."

The food was surprisingly good, and Maya dug in with gusto. The four women chitchatted throughout the meal, and Maya found herself relaxing. When they were done eating, Kurama came back and started collecting their dishes.

Maya noticed when he did so that the other women also fell silent. None of them seemed entirely comfortable in Kurama's presence.

"Now that you're done eating, we're going to play a game," Kurama said.

A game? What was this guy getting at? Maya glanced at the other women, and was relieved to see they didn't look like they wanted to play any weird sort of game either.

"I'm afraid Yukina and I are going to have to decline," Keiko said. "We have to get up early tomorrow, so we'd best be getting to bed."

Kurama smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid that this game isn't optional."

Now that was downright freaky. What sort of hotel forced you to play games?

Keiko frowned and stood to her feet. "Listen buddy, you can't force us to do anything we don't want to do."

The air seemed to blur then, and suddenly Kurama was standing in front of Keiko. Still smiling, Kurama shoved his hand into Keiko's chest and ripped out her still beating heart. The others watched in a horrified silence as her body slowly slumped down to the ground.

Kurama smiled at them, gently rubbing the bloody organ with his fingers. "This is the part where you run."

Completely panicked, the three women could only think of putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the murderer in the dining hall. Botan made it to the door first, and tugged on the door handles. "It won't open!" she cried.

Which didn't really matter, Maya realized, because she at least didn't have her car keys. "Upstairs," Maya said, taking off. The other two followed her, and glancing back Maya was only slightly relieved to see that Kurama hadn't started following them yet.

Maya led the way to her room and quickly unlocked the door. The three of them tumbled inside and Maya bolted the door behind them. "Help me with this!" she said, shoving the heavy dresser in front of the door. The two quickly helped her get it situated. Once the dresser was in place, Maya's initial panic, though not her fear, began to wear off.

Yukina was rocking back and forth holding herself and crying. "He killed her…He killed Keiko."

"He's a lunatic," Botan said, shivering. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to get out of here," Maya said, taking charge despite her fear and the fact that she was the youngest person present.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Botan asked.

Maya dug her car keys out of her bag, and then went the bedroom window to look outside. It was still dark and raining, but Maya could see a tree outside her window.

"We'll climb down this tree and get out of here in my car," Maya said.

"What if he's down there waiting for us?" Yukina cried.

Maya bit her lip. "Maybe there's something in here we can use as a weapon."

They searched the room quickly, desperate to get away before Kurama found them. "This letter opener could work as a knife," Botan said, holding up the metal letter opener she had found. Personally, Maya didn't want to let Kurama get close enough where they could actually use a knife on him. The way he'd murdered Keiko and the speed he had displayed…It was unnatural.

Steps echoed out in the hallway and the three women froze. Maya held her breath, hoping they'd get lucky and the steps would just pass by their door.

The clicking steps slowed and came to a stop just outside the door. For a moment the only sound Maya could hear was the pounding of her heart, and then, he knocked.

"Are you going to let me in, ladies?" Kurama asked in a pleasant voice that sent chills up Maya's spine.

Losing any desire to stay hidden because they had so obviously been found, Maya snatched up a nearby lamp and threw it at the window to make an escape route. The lamp shattered and sprayed glass, but the window didn't get as much as a scratch on it.

"I'm going to have to add that to your bill, Maya," Kurama said.

Maya's blood ran cold. _How did he know I was the one who threw it?_

Maya picked up a large piece of sharp looking glass. She didn't know if Kurama would manage to get inside the room, but if he did she wanted something to defend herself with.

The three women huddled together in silence as they watched the door. There was a soft click, and the lock turned.

Sweat trickled down Maya's forehead and she tensed up, watching the door in a stupefied horror as it slowly began to open, pushing the dresser with it.

_It took all three of us to move that dresser. How is he doing that?_

Before the door had opened completely, Botan dashed forward and thrust her letter opener through the crack in the door. Maya could hear a sharp hiss of pain from Kurama, saw the triumphant smile on Botan's face. It only lasted for a second though, and Botan's triumph turned to horror as she was dragged through the partially open doorway.

Yukina sobbed and Maya stood still, numb with shock, as Botan screamed. Then she stopped screaming, and the silence was infinitely worse.

They waited for what seemed like an eternity for Kurama to come in the room and kill them too, but he never came. There was only that unbearable silence.

Finally, Maya moved towards the door on shaky legs, and Yukina grabbed hold of her arm. "Don't," she gasped. "He'll kill you too."

Like they would live long stuck in here. "I have to see," Maya said, pushing away Yukina's clinging hands.

Maya raised her shard of glass and carefully moved around to peak into the hallway. When she did, Maya saw Botan's body lying on the ground, her mouth wide in a silent scream, and her chest ripped open.

Maya dropped her piece of glass and barely made it to a decorative pot in her room before throwing up. Maya heaved and heaved, until her stomach was completely empty, and even then she still felt nauseous. Maya trembled with fear, wondering how any man could do such a thing.

_But Kurama wasn't out there._

Which didn't make sense; why would he just kill Botan and then leave?

"A game," Maya whispered. "He's playing a game with us."

And if it was a game, then Maya might have a chance to win. Only, she didn't know the rules.

_It doesn't matter. I'm going to get out of here!_

Maya straightened and looked at Yukina. The woman was a hopeless wreck; Maya was sure her chances for survival would be better if she abandoned her, but Maya knew she couldn't.

"Come on, we can't stay in here, and we can't break open the window," Maya said to Yukina. "We have to get to the front door in the hall to leave."

"He'll kill us too," Yukina whimpered.

"Maybe," Maya said, "but we won't make it easy for him."

Maya took Yukina by the hand and led her out of the room. She paused by Botan's body long enough to grab the letter opener before they kept going. It hadn't done Botan much good, but it was better than Maya's piece of glass. Besides, Botan had managed to hurt him with it; Maya had heard his gasp of pain.

They quickly moved down the corridor, heading for the stairs. Then they heard the click-click of steps behind them.

"Run!" Maya shouted.

They ran, and the footsteps behind them quickened. Suddenly, Yukina's hand was wrenched from Maya's, and Maya stumbled forward a few steps before whirling around.

Kurama had Yukina pinned to the ground; he looked different now, Maya dimly realized. He no longer looked faded and sickly, but vibrant and colorful and terrible. He smirked at Maya, his lips painted red with blood, as Yukina whimpered helplessly beneath him. "Keep running Maya," he said, before switching his gaze to Yukina.

And Maya should have run she knew; if she had she might have been able to make it to the door before Kurama was done with Yukina. But Maya didn't even think about escaping, and threw herself at Kurama instead.

Kurama's head jerked up and he looked shocked as Maya plunged the letter opener into his chest. He fell back for a moment, but that was all Maya and Yukina needed to start running again.

They had made it to the stairs when Maya felt the yank on her hair that pulled her back. When she cried out in pain, Yukina hesitated, but Maya screamed, "Go!"

Yukina ran then, and Maya got to see her run to the door and then outside before Kurama dragged her up to face him. For the first time, Kurama actually looked angry.

_I'm going to die._

There was no way around it at this point, no hope of escape. That should have scared Maya witless, but somehow it relieved all of her fears. After all, if she was going to die for certain, then nothing worse could possibly happen.

"That wasn't very nice," Kurama said, pulling the letter opener out of his chest. Maya noted with a sort of morbid fascination that there was no blood at all.

"Like killing your guests is real kind," Maya snapped.

Kurama smirked with his bloody lips, though his eyes still snapped with anger. "Would you prefer if I ate my food while it was still alive?"

So that's why his mouth was bloody. She remembered how he had killed Keiko and Botan. "You ate their hearts."

Kurama traced the side of Maya's face, his bloody fingers deceptively gentle. "Yes. It is my lot in life; in order to keep myself alive I must prey on the hearts of young women."

"You're going to eat me."

The anger in Kurama's eyes shifted then, to what almost looked like lust. "Yes, my dear. Oh yes."


End file.
